Cattle Decapitation

American extreme metal band

This article is about the music group. For other uses, see Animal slaughter.

Cattle Decapitation

Cattle Decapitation performing at Inferno festival in Norway, 2016

Background information
Also known as| Cattle Decap
Origin| San Diego, California, U.S.
Genres|

* Deathgrind[1]
* grindcore[2]
* technical death metal[3]
* goregrind (early)[4]

Years active| 1996 (1996)–present
Labels|

* Satan's Pimp
* Three One G
* Accident Prone
* Metal Blade
* War Torn

Members|

* Travis Ryan
* Josh Elmore
* Dave McGraw
* Belisario Dimuzio

Past members|

* Scott Miller
* Gabe Serbian
* Dave Astor
* Michael Laughlin
* Troy Oftedal
* Derek Engemann
* Olivier Pinard

Website| cattledecapitation.com

Cattle Decapitation is an American death metal band formed in San Diego, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup includes vocalist Travis Ryan, guitarists Josh Elmore and Belisario Dimuzio, and drummer David McGraw. Since 2001, none of the founding members remain with the band. Despite not being in the original lineup, Ryan and Elmore are the only constant members on all of Cattle Decapitation's eight studio albums.

## History

[edit]

Cattle Decapitation was formed in 1996 by singer Scott Miller, guitarist Gabe Serbian, and drummer Dave Astor.[5] The band put out their first material in 1996 with a demo called Ten Torments of the Damned. Scott Miller left the band in circa 1997 and Travis Ryan joined the band. In 1999 their first EP Human Jerky was recorded and in 2000 their second EP Homovore was recorded. The two EPs were both recorded at Double Time Studios with recording engineer Jeff Forrest. Guitarist Gabe Serbian ended up leaving the band 2001 to focus on The Locust. Guitarist Josh Elmore and bassist Troy Oftedal joined the band right after.[citation needed]

Cattle Decapitation's first album To Serve Man came out in 2002 and saw controversy in Germany, where distribution company SPV refused to handle the album due to its graphic cover.[6] The cover of the 2004 album Humanure, featuring a cow excreting human remains, was reportedly censored without permission from the label in some outlets. Record store owners did not display the album, making it difficult for customers to find and buy it.[7]

Dave McGraw in 2018

In August 2009, Cattle Decapitation parted ways with long-time bassist Troy Oftedal because of "musical and personal differences".[8] Cattle Decapitation's album Monolith of Inhumanity was released in 2012. It received positive reviews upon release.[9][10]

Cattle Decapitation has toured with extreme metal acts including Suffocation, Cryptopsy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Deicide, Behemoth, Hate Eternal, Krisiun, Revocation, and Job for a Cowboy.[11] The band also participated in Metal Blade Records' Scion A/V Showcase in late 2012.[12]

Travis Ryan in 2018

The band spent the majority of 2014 writing The Anthropocene Extinction.[13] Alongside the announcement of the album title in May 2015, the band released the first song of the record, titled "Manufactured Extinct".[14] It was released through Metal Blade on August 7, 2015.[15]

On April 30, 2018, two Native American teens were pulled out of a Colorado State University tour by the police for being "too quiet" and wearing "dark clothing."[16] When the band found out that one of the brothers was wearing Cattle Decapitation T-shirts, they offered the brothers "free guest list spots for life."[17][18]

In August 2018, the band announced the addition of Cryptopsy bass player Olivier Pinard, as well as the promotion of touring rhythm guitarist Belisario Dimuzio to being a full time member,[19] thus making the group a five piece for the first time. The recording of the seventh studio album Death Atlas began in May 2019,[20] and was released on November 29, 2019.[21]

In November 2022, the band announced at a concert in Las Vegas that they planned on releasing a new album in May 2023. At the show, they played the new song "We Eat Our Young" from the upcoming, then unnamed album.[22]

The band released their eighth album, Terrasite, on May 12, 2023.[23]

In mid-April 2025, Oliver Pinard announced his departure from the band in order to focus on Cryptopsy and his personal life.[24]

In May 2025, Metal Blade Records and NJV Media released the feature-length documentary From This Flesh: A Cattle Decapitation Story. The documentary was filmed during the recording sessions for Terrasite and focuses on the production of the album, as well as the history of the band.[25][26]

## Musical style and influences

[edit]

Graham Hartmann of Loudwire called Cattle Decapitation technical death metal.[27]

Ryan comments: "Josh and I are what you would call "vegetarian". We've tried and tried to be as up front about that as possible but the entire media world thinks we are hardline vegan, which in turn trickled down to fans and we're just not. I've been vegan at points but I try to be as correct as possible and point blank, there's times on tour where I just don't know if what I've been given to eat has eggs or dairy in it and the road is rather unfriendly to us. We aren't afforded the luxury of going to a Whole Foods at 3 am after a show. At that point it's fucking Taco Bell or something disgusting. You're driving down the road burning fossil fuels and your vehicle is covered in the carcasses of insects and sometimes birds and other animals. So how far does one take it? This is why I can't claim vegan. I live my life with as much compassion as I can for others, the environment and the animals though. At home it's much easier."[28]

Metal author and journalist Garry Sharpe-Young once acknowledged the band as "one of the few metal bands whose message hits as hard as their music".[6]

## Band members

[edit]

Current

* Travis Ryan – lead vocals, keyboards, drums (1997–present)
* Josh Elmore – guitars (2001–present)
* Dave McGraw – drums, percussion (2007–present)
* Belisario Dimuzio – guitars (2018–present; touring 2015–2018)

Former

* Scott Miller – lead vocals, guitars (1996–1997)
* Gabe Serbian – drums, percussion (1996–2001), guitar (1997–2001) (died 2022)
* Dave Astor – bass guitar (1996–2001), drums, percussion (1997–2003)
* Troy Oftedal – bass guitar, piano (2001–2009)
* Michael Laughlin – drums, percussion (2003–2006, 2007)
* Derek Engemann – bass guitar, keyboards (2010–2017)
* Olivier Pinard – bass guitar (2018–2025)

|

### Timeline

[edit]

## Discography

[edit]

Cattle Decapitation discography

Studio albums| 8
EPs| 4
Music videos| 8
Split albums| 1
Demos| 1

### Studio albums

[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions  Year  | Album details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

Heat.
[29] | US
Indie.
[30] | US
Hard
Rock
[31] | US
Billboard
200
[32] | GER
[33]
2002 | To Serve Man

* Released: July 30, 2002
* Label: Metal Blade

| — | — | — | — | —
2004 | Humanure

* Released: July 13, 2004
* Label: Metal Blade

| — | — | — | — | —
2006 | Karma.Bloody.Karma

* Released: July 11, 2006
* Label: Metal Blade

| — | — | — | — | —
2009 | The Harvest Floor

* Released: January 20, 2009
* Label: Metal Blade

| 16 | — | — | — | —
2012 | Monolith of Inhumanity

* Released: May 8, 2012
* Label: Metal Blade

| 6 | 32 | 18 | — | —
2015 | The Anthropocene Extinction

* Released: August 7, 2015
* Label: Metal Blade

| — | 5 | 5 | 100 | 88
2019 | Death Atlas

* Released: November 29, 2019
* Label: Metal Blade

| — | — | 3 | 116 | 56
2023 | Terrasite

* Released: May 12, 2023
* Label: Metal Blade

| — | 48 | 17 | — | 34
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

### Compilation albums

[edit]

* Medium Rarities (2018)[34]

### Box Sets

[edit]

Year  | Album details

|

2014 | Decade of Decapitation[35]

* Released: 2014
* Label: Metal Blade
* Contains: To Serve Man, Humanure, Karma.Bloody.Karma, The Harvest Floor, Monolith of Inhumanity

### EPs

[edit]

Year  | Album details

|

1999 | Human Jerky

* Released: 1999
* Label: Satans Pimp, Three One G (reissue), Accident Prone (reissue)

2000 | Homovore

* Released: May 2, 2000
* Label: Three One G

2000 | ¡Decapitacion!

* Released: 2000
* Label: Accident Prone

### Split albums

[edit]

Year  | Album details

|

1999  | The Science of Crisis (with Armatron and Tic War 1)

* Released: 1999
* Label: ToYo Records

2005 | Cattle Decapitation / Caninus

* Released: November 24, 2005
* Label: War Torn Records

### Demos

[edit]

Year  | Album details

|

1996 | Ten Torments of the Damned

* Released: 1996
* Label: independent

### Music videos

[edit]

List of music videos, showing year released and director  Year  | Title  | Album  | Director(s)

|
|
|

2002  | "To Serve Man"  | To Serve Man | Russ Herpich
2004  | "Reduced to Paste"  | Humanure | —
2009  | "Regret and the Grave"  | The Harvest Floor | Gary Smithson
"A Body Farm"  | —
2012  | "Kingdom of Tyrants"  | Monolith of Inhumanity | Mitch Massie
"Forced Gender Reassignment"
2013  | "Your Disposal"
2016  | "Clandestine Ways (Krokodil Rot)"  | The Anthropocene Extinction
2017  | "The Prophets of Loss"  | Paul McGuire
2020  | "Bring Back the Plague"  | Death Atlas | —
2021  | "Finish Them"  | Nicholas Vidler
2023  | "We Eat Our Young"  | Terrasite | David Brodsky
"Scourge of the Offspring"[36]
"A Photic Doom"[37]
"Solastalgia"[38]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Andy Hermann.Seeing Cattle Decapitation at Los Globos Just Made Me a Deathgrind Fan Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. LA Weekly. January 6, 2015.
2. ^ Bayer, Gerd, Heavy Metal Music in Britain (Ashgate Publishing, 2013), p.60.
3. ^ "Staff Review: Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction | Sputnikmusic". SputnikMusic. August 12, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
4. ^ Cattle Decapitation at AllMusic
5. ^ "metalweb interview". Archived from the original on July 23, 2008.
6. ^ a b Metal: The Definitive Guide, page 169
7. ^ Sanford, Jay Allen (November 19, 2008). "Cattle Decapitation Veggie Burgers, plus History of San Diego Music Parts 1 thru 7". sandiegoreader.com. San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
8. ^ "Cattle Decapitation Parts Ways With Bassist, Announces Replacement - Blabbermouth.net". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
9. ^ "Review: Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity". Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
10. ^ "Cattle Decapitation – "Monolith of Inhumanity" Album Review – Thrash Magazine". Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
11. ^ "JOB FOR A COWBOY announce headlining tour with CATTLE DECAPITATION & WHITECHAPEL – Metal Injection". March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
12. ^ "SIX FEET UNDER, CATTLE DECAPITATION And More Confirmed For Scion A/V Label Showcase". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
13. ^ "Cattle Decapitation - Writing Material For New Album". Metal Storm. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
14. ^ Staff writer(s) (May 20, 2015). "CATTLE DECAPITATION to release The Anthropocene Extinction this August via Metal Blade Records". metalblade.com. Metal Blade Records. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
15. ^ "PHILIP ANSELMO To Guest On New CATTLE DECAPITATION Album". May 20, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
16. ^ "Safety | Colorado State University". archive.is. May 5, 2018. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
17. ^ Swenson, Kyle (May 4, 2018). "Two Native American brothers were touring a Colo. college when a parent called police. They say it was racial profiling". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
18. ^ "(4) Cattle Decapitation – Posts". archive.is. May 5, 2018. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
19. ^ "Cattle Decapitation announces new band members | Metal Blade Records". Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
20. ^ CATTLE DECAPITATION TO BEGIN RECORDING EIGHTH STUDIO ALBUM Archived May 25, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. loudwire.com. GRAHAM HARTMANN. March 25, 2019.
21. ^ Cattle Decapitation - Death Atlas Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved February 9, 2024
22. ^ Keenan, Hesher (November 15, 2022). "Cattle Decapitation Play the New Track "We Eat Our Young" Live for the First Time, Reveal a New Record Could be Coming May 2023". MetalSucks. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
23. ^ Greg Kennelty (January 10, 2023). "CATTLE DECAPITATION Announces New Album Terrasite". Metal Injection. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
24. ^ "Bassist Oliver Pinard exits Cattle Decapitation to focus on Cryptopsy". Lambgoat. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
25. ^ Keenan, Hesher (May 12, 2025). "Cattle Decapitation Release a Two-Hour Documentary on the Making of 'Terrasite'". MetalSucks. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
26. ^ Blabbermouth (May 12, 2025). "CATTLE DECAPITATION Shares Two-Hour Documentary 'From This Flesh: A Cattle Decapitation Story'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
27. ^ Hartmann, Graham (November 7, 2012). "Cattle Decapitation Exit Tour After Alleged Sucker Punch by Six Feet Under's Chris Barnes". Loudwire. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
28. ^ INTERVIEW: TRAVIS RYAN OF CATTLE DECAPITATION Archived November 12, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. July 22, 2015. moshville.co.uk
29. ^ "Cattle Decapitation – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
30. ^ "Cattle Decapitation – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
31. ^ "Cattle Decapitation – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
32. ^ "Cattle Decapitation – Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
33. ^ "Discographie Cattle Decapitation". GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
34. ^ Andrew Sacher (September 20, 2018). "Long-rumored Cattle Decapitation Rarities Compilation Finally Coming This Fall". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
35. ^ Chuck Armstrong (November 24, 2014). "Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan Discusses 'Decade of Decapitation' Box Set". Loudwire. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
36. ^ Video on YouTube
37. ^ Video on YouTube
38. ^ Video on YouTube

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cattle Decapitation.

* Official website
* Cattle Decapitation at Metal Blade
* Cattle Decapitation at AllMusic

* v
* t
* e

Cattle Decapitation

* Travis Ryan
* Josh Elmore
* Dave McGraw
* Belisario Dimuzio

* Scott Miller
* Gabe Serbian
* Dave Astor
* Michael Laughlin
* Troy Oftedal
* Derek Engemann
* Olivier Pinard

Studio albums|

* To Serve Man (2002)
* Humanure (2004)
* Karma.Bloody.Karma (2006)
* The Harvest Floor (2009)
* Monolith of Inhumanity (2012)
* The Anthropocene Extinction (2015)
* Death Atlas (2019)
* Terrasite (2023)

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Artists|

* MusicBrainz

*[EPs]: Extended plays
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